INSaNUTTY
by Lolitafreak88
Summary: After receiving a mysterious letter and being invited to mansion in the middle of nowhere. Nutty finds himself in a strange position, a guinea pig for some power-hungry magicians. With only Handy's hard hat to keep him company Nutty might just crack under the pain and pressure. But is it all in his head? Or is it really a nightmare come true?
1. Chapter 1

INSaNUTTY

By Lolitafreak88

Starring: Nutty and Mime

Featuring: Flaky, Giggles, Sniffles, Disco Bear, Handy, and Petunia.

Imagine the densest, darkest forest. Imagine it being only illuminated by the moon, the light that pierces through the trees appearing a blend of gold and white. Imagine the danger, the mystery, the sense of loneliness and being lost. Then imagine all that being inflicted on one squirrel. Imagine him being a very vivid green, imagine various pieces of candy being on him. Imagine an elegant letter in his hand, so elegant that it seems contrary for such a character to be holding. Imagine one eye that doesn't seem to know where to go and the other being neutral. Imagine giggling and nervous chatter. Imagine the squirrel being a Happy Tree Friend, and you get Nutty.

Nutty, a chittering, sugar-hyped mess of genetics was wandering around these woods as the letter instructed him to. The letter told him to seek 'Mime's Arcanum". Of course he had no idea what an 'Arcanum' was, maybe it some kind of chocolate brand. Nutty's mindset was very limited due to a mix of natural squirrel brain size and a love of sugar that often affected his actions. He would go to the ends of the world to get a taste of his beloved sugar. So he had smelled something yummy which had turned out to be a very delectable funnel cake with whipped cream. Of course why would it be in a forest of all places? Nutty didn't mind of course, and not only devoured the funnel cake, but found the letter that was an invitation to a very elegant party at 'Mime's Arcanum'. So Nutty started his mysterious journey by skipping to and fro happily. But now he was reduced to simply walking along, mostly because everything was so dense and dark that he was nervous. Though the nervous giggling came rather naturally to Nutty. But then he noticed a clearing in the woods and ran towards it.

What he found was a fence, a long fence and in it seemed to be a plain. He saw various bushes and also baskets of fruit, as though it was a farmer's ranch. But then Nutty also noticed that on the other end of the fenced off plain was a gorgeous looking mansion with the most enchanting purple curtains on the windows. At least, that's what caught Nutty's eye the most from where he was for it was quite far. Since it was his destination, Nutty saw no problem in taking a shortcut and so he climbed over the fence and started to run across the long plain to the mansion. There were grape vines and scarecrows and all sorts of beautiful flowers in different and somewhat wild colors. There was a very sweet, buttery smell in the air too. As Nutty ran he suddenly tripped over something and fell into some of the grape vines. The grapes he hit splattered and painted him with juice.

"Ow..." He mumbled. Though he noticed some of the grape juice on his hand and licked it, thinking it might've tasted yummy. Sure enough it was a pleasantly yummy and refreshing taste. He started to laugh happily, glad to have some nourishment, when he spotted what he tripped over. It made him cease laughing at once, for it looked very familiar. It was a hat, a hard hat, a yellow hard hat. It was the color of lemonade, the color of sunshine, the color of bananas, and it looked exactly like Handy's. Handy was a beaver who had the unfortunate position of being a construction worker and having permanent nubs as a result of a mysterious accident. Handy had or at least was befriending Nutty, so Nutty was naturally curious and confused as to why his hard hat was here. Had Handy lost it? Was he invited to the mansion as well and dropped it? Then again, maybe this wasn't a hard hat. What if it was just something sugary or a fruit that had been left behind that just looked like a hat? Nutty, who could easily mistake things for food, decided to taste test it. He went over, grabbed the hat, and licked inside it.

Naturally, he was repulsed afterward and started spitting desperately. It's taste was a potent combination of sweat, plastic, and... occasionally a strand of hair. He pulled one off his tongue and dropped it. He then wiped his mouth and even ate a few of the grapes to cleanse the taste by putting a better taste on it. At least he could confirm now that the hard hat was indeed Handy's, for the strand of hair matched Handy's skin tone. Or would it be fur tone? Nutty shrugged his shoulders and continued across the plain. It was a bit creepy that there was so much plant-life and little activity, as though he was the only one here. Had everyone besides him gone someplace else? It was a different kind of scariness from that of the forest. The forest's scariness was that it was hard to tell what was there and it was mysterious. Here, everything was exposed in this plain but there was not much to it, leading a sense of aloneness and vulnerability. Also Handy's hard hat just being here meant that someone had been here before but was no longer here. Finally, Nutty was on the other end of the fence which he promptly climbed over once again. The mansion's door was wooded, with strange stone lion heads on it that held a iron ring in their grasp. Nutty gazed at the rings with acute interest for a bit before grabbing the left iron ring firmly and started banging it against the door. Of course it produced a very irritating and loud "Clang!" designed to attract the attention of whoever was inside. So in just a matter of seconds, the right door was opened and Mime appeared in the doorway.

Mime looked a bit different from how the reindeer (Or maybe just plain deer) looked. He was wearing a distinguished suit with an elegant corsage on it. He had a look of contempt, but maybe because Nutty had been banging on the door so relentlessly though it softened as soon as he saw it was Nutty, his invited guest. Although there was a strange glint in his eyes as soon as he figured out it was Nutty and Nutty noticed. Though maybe it was the fact he was holding Handy's hard hat and it caught his attention. Nutty had brought it with him to give it back to Handy because Handy might've been a bit insecure without it on and it protected his head from the usual injury or disaster that the Tree Friends faced. In fact, usually Handy's deaths were quite severe for the sole reason of Handy being better protected than the other Tree Friends. Flippy was better trained, Splendid was a superhero, Lifty and Shifty were crafty, Nutty himself had persistence that could easily turn into carelessness, and Sniffles had brains. At least that's all the ideas Nutty could come up with at the moment, as Mime quickly grabbed him by his other hand and took him inside before slamming the door shut.

Nutty was a bit surprised at Mime's aggressiveness, perhaps he had took a bit too long in the plains with the grapes and Handy's hard hat. He was further shocked when Mime slapped the hard hat out of Nutty's hands and took Nutty's letter and put it in a pocket on his suit. Nutty gasped and pleaded to hold onto the hard hat, saying that it was for Handy in case he lost it. Mime looked like he did regret hitting the hard hat out of Nutty's hands and so he allowed Nutty to pick it up. Mime apologized and pointed out that it was almost time for an event. He pointed at a very ornate grandfather clock that had strange markings that looked like cave drawings, Nazca Lines, and even magic symbols and circles. This was when Nutty got his first good look at where he was. It was definitely something fancy, as fancy as a wedding cake! There was a stairway, paintings, carpeting, chandeliers, all sorts of beautiful and priceless furnishings fit for a mansion. Definitely the fanciest place Nutty had been to since the convention. It wasn't as nice as the bakery or the supermarket of course but still pretty nice. Mime led the way towards one section of the mansion and Nutty followed, still holding onto the hard hat.

So Mime led him to what appeared to be a dining table. Giggles, Flaky, and Sniffles were there. Sniffles was wearing the same kind of suit as Mime while Giggles and Flaky were wearing some very provocative cocktail dresses. Though Flaky seemed a bit timid about it, Giggles seemed fine with it. Giggles was up for trying new things and was more outgoing than Flaky, usually because Flaky could recognize the dangers of certain things better than the other Tree Friends. Nutty was happy to see Sniffles, having played checkers with him and was even friends with him. Though he was surprised to see Sniffles at a kind of party like this? Maybe it would be for fancy people and they would discuss fancy things? Maybe wedding cakes? Sniffles gestured for Nutty to sit by him and so Nutty did so, setting aside Handy's hard hat on the chair next to him. Flaky and Giggles began to talk to one another until Mime appeared at a chair more ornate than the others and clapped his hands to draw attention to him. Nutty, knowing Mime didn't speak, wondered what he was going to announce. That's when Mime did something unbelievable.

Mime snapped his fingers and at the dining table, plates full of food, and glasses full of drink appeared before each Tree Friend. Nutty's drink was fizzy and green and he realized that all the Tree Friends got drinks the color of themselves. Flaky's was red, Giggles was pink, Sniffles was blue, and Mime was purple. The food was all very fresh with hot dogs, popcorn, and a lavish chocolate cake with strawberries on it. It had appeared in an instant, like it was done by magic. Mime did have some nifty magic tricks up his sleeve, tricks that were used to entertain and inspire the town but this seemed... unreal. Nutty was not the sharpest candy cane in the candy shop but he was sensible enough to know that Mime's display of magic was astonishingly powerful. Still, with an array of sugary and yummy treats, Nutty didn't see much reason to complain. _Too bad Handy's not here_... Nutty thought.

After a delightful meal, Nutty cleaned his mouth elegantly with his napkin, knowing that was good manners. He then sighed a breath of happiness before turning to look at Handy's hard hat again. He had to have been around here at one point if it was in the plain in front of the mansion. But yet he was not here and neither Mime or the other guests seemed to acknowledge that Nutty was holding onto it. Though they had a nice chat in the midst of the dinner, talking about life and also abstract subjects like magic and technology (Though mostly Sniffles was talking about technology). Also, they would flash him the biggest smiles with sparkling eyes. It was a very...

"Hmm?" He uttered suddenly. Nutty's reflection of the events that had happened was abruptly interrupted by a very strange sound. It sounded far too disturbing for a living person, far too unconcerned to be someone pure-hearted, and far too demonic to be someone normal. It was the sound of excited giggling. But not the kind of excited giggles you'd make after hearing a funny joke but more like the excited giggles one would make when you couldn't hold in your laughter when you know something amusing was about to happen. It was ironic that the giggles were coming from Flaky, Sniffles, and... Giggles. Mime wasn't giggling but he did have a very happy expression. It seemed a bit too happy for Nutty's comfort though. Especially when Mime licked his lips as though he was hungry. But he had just eaten, and there was nothing around his mouth, so there was no reason for him to do that...

Nutty suddenly felt a bit alone and scared, as though he was with strangers. His limited brain capacity prevented him from considering he was being paranoid, but he had good reason to be a bit on edge. Then Mime's head turned suddenly to face Nutty and his eyes stared directly into Nutty's. Nutty was taken aback and looked into Mime's eyes. Then he felt the weirdest thing. A dizziness started to creep into his mind and Nutty's vision started to blur a bit. Nutty then felt his chair being pulled from the table and someone taking him by the arm and escorting him somewhere in the mansion. From the pink color he saw in his weakened vision, it was clear it was Giggles. He tried to ask if he could pick up Handy's hard hat but he found he couldn't really say anything. He pronounced what he wanted to say but no sound came out. It was a very constricting sort of feeling, being dizzy and rendered quiet. Fortunately, Nutty could still hear and feel. He heard discussions about 'unable to control their excitement' and 'It's been long enough'. He also heard and felt them going down the stairs and also a cold surface, like rock or stone. He heard the sound of a key unlocking a door and then a door opening. By now everything that Nutty could see was dark and black, until a very bright white light appeared following the sound of a light switch being turned on. Finally Giggles roughly let go of Nutty and then he felt himself being pushed. Dizzy and barely able to see a thing, he fell forward and landed on a cold stone surface.

Then he heard the sound of someone snapping his fingers and suddenly his vision was restored and the dizzy sensation evaporated. But it didn't help to calm his nerves down at all, he felt very scared. What was going on? Then he looked up to see a sight that would've made anyone's heart stop. First he appeared to be in a dungeon of some sort, with chains present. Then he noticed the most terrifying markings on the wall, markings of what appeared to be blood splatters and magical runes. It looked like the very scene from an occult-based horror video game. Nutty had a bit of an expertise in video games, having once being obsessed with video games after a stint with his love for candy though it returned. So Nutty had played all sorts of games and this looked startlingly similar to a game he had once played, involving a mystery and demonic creatures. But that was nothing in comparison to what he saw next. Giggles, Sniffles, Flaky, and Mime were all in front of him with the most eager grins on their faces. Their eyes were glowing in respective colors, much like the drinks, and their hands seemed to glow with some kind of energy. It was like they were magicians... and they had a new play-thing to experiment their magic with. Nutty gulped, suddenly wishing he had stayed lost in the forest. There was no telling what would happen next.

So the special reason behind this story? Well I guess to try to go back to classic Happy Tree Friends type shock value XD. Anyways this story might be only a few chapters like the last HTF story I made but I promise you that it'll be dark, intriguing, and exciting XD. So I hope you'll like it. Anyways, Nutty seems to be a in a situation stickier than taffy but what exactly do the four not-so Happy Tree Friends want to do with him? Is there any escape or light at the end of the tunnel for Nutty? Where did Handy go? Find out next time on Chapter 2! Once more I take no ownership of copyright and all rights belong respectfully and eloquently to a recently interactive (At least when it comes to contests) Mondo Media and Happy Tree Friends. Thank you ^_^.


	2. Chapter 2

INSaNUTTY Chapter 2

By Lolitafreak88

For a few seconds, Nutty could only look at Flaky, Giggles, Sniffles, and Mime with the most perplexed and horrified expression. Their eyes glowing, their hands glowing, their faces looking bizarre and demonic, had they sold their souls for arcane power? Were they secretly wizards? Could they make candy appear out of thin air if someone asked? Mime probably could but considering he had orchestrated all this to get Nutty to come here into this dark and decorated dungeon, there was no way that he would listen to anything Nutty had to say. Mime looked like a mastermind, like everything had gone according to plan, and his expression had the same menace that Fliqpy often had. Flaky looked a bit vengeful, as though Nutty had done something to her and she was about to make him pay for it. Perhaps she had gained more confidence in herself through this magic but all magic has a price. Maybe she lost her sweet spirit and become angry and short-tempered. Giggles had a very sadistic expression, and even giggled a bit like she was on a sugar rush. Nutty's sugar rush-induced laughter was natural but to see Giggles laughing like him out of some twisted form of excitement was no joke. Sniffles expression was more calculating, like he was currently thinking of something. If Nutty wasn't unnerved before, this was now the appropriate time to do so.

Finally, the four Tree Friends nodded and then stuck their right hands out in front of them and their respective magical energy flashed like the first rays of a sunrise piercing through the darkness. Nutty shut his eyes quickly to avoid being blinded and when he felt the slight heat of the magical flashes disappear, he opened them. Floating above their hands were cards. They appeared to be the same type of cards of a poker game that featured the Tree Friends. The girls had once gathered together to play such a game and it ended badly. But the incident also supported Lammy's innocence and that it was her supposed imaginary friend Mr. Pickles that was responsible for the deaths Lammy supposedly caused. At the moment, these cards seemed to have a different purpose than simply being used for a game of poker. That thought was scariest of all to Nutty. He read what the cards said, his teeth chittering in worry and fear. Giggles had the Queen of Hearts, Flaky had the Eight of Spades, Sniffles had the Three of Diamonds, and Mime had a Joker. Giggles laughed hysterically and jumped up and down in happiness, apparently having gotten something good. Flaky smiled a bit while Sniffles clicked his tongue in some annoyance. Mime seemed very pleased with his result though, whatever it meant. Mime then bowed politely and gestured for Giggles to move forward. Giggles muttered something like 'with pleasure', her voice now suddenly distorted and her hands and eyes glowing with magic again.

Nutty finally started to sense the full danger he was in. It seemed they were about to toy with him with their magic and they had just now decided the order. Nutty started to crawl backwards in fright and then eventually turned around, got to his feet, and hurried straight towards the door. There was no telling how advanced their magic was and the only reason he was caught by the previous spell was through eye contact. So if he wasn't looking at them, would that make him immune to whatever spells they casted? Tragically, this was not the case. Nutty then heard a noise that sounded like something emerging from the ground roughly, like if built up water burst out of the ground due to pressure. But it didn't sound like water, more like some kind of plant, plants in fact as he soon heard three sounds identical to the first sound follow quickly afterward. It was a bizarre sort of rhythm. Giggles had summoned four thorn-covered vines from the ground, strong enough to burst through the stone and only leaving small, straight holes with no cracks around them. She was clearly thinking of entangling Nutty with the prickly plants for some sadistic reason. Then with a gesture, the four vines pursued Nutty and at a much quicker pace than Nutty's run. Nutty had nearly made it to the doorknob before realizing the door could be locked and so he hesitated a slight bit. This was the vine's time to strike and they did so.

The vines wrapped themselves firmly around Nutty's wrists and ankles, the thorns piercing deep into Nutty's skin and drawing blood. Nutty's typical response to pain was a mix of a cry and giggling and so he did such. Giggles laughed like a kid at a circus and clenched her fist. The vines started to extend, wrapping around more of Nutty's body before they firmly wrapped around Nutty's whole body, all drawing blood, causing drops of blood to spill to the ground from his legs, arms, and torso. Nutty was starting to find it harder to speak and his giggling grew quieter and was reduced to mostly groans of pain. The vines then firmly moved their way around his neck and squeezed harshly. Nutty started to choke and gag at the sheer strangling of the vines. But this was just what the vines and Giggles wanted. In a flash, the thorny vines found their way into Nutty's mouth and then spread throughout his body. The agony was immeasurable. The thorny vines were pressing and slashing his internal organs and he suddenly felt like he was rapidly losing control of his body and like there was only pain.

"Ahah.. gck... AHHHHAHHHHHAAA!" Nutty's sudden mortifying wail came from two thorny vines piercing through each of his eye sockets, popping out Nutty's eyeballs and sending them falling to the ground. Nutty was now blind and by now blood was practically pouring down his body, but he wasn't dead yet. He didn't know if it was the result of magic or him simply being alive. But then he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart, like something was stabbing it and pulling on it at once. And then... his heart seemed to snap, or it felt like it was now displaced. The other two vines that Giggles had summoned were far from finished. They had pulled out Nutty's heart fiercely for some sort of reason but Nutty was still magically alive to feel the agony of it. The vines dragged the heart out of Nutty's mouth, the other two vines forcing Nutty's mouth open to help pull the heart out of his throat. Nutty had no idea what was going on, all sanity and possibilities to react gone. He was completely helpless, a puddle of blood under him.

Giggles then had the vines finally release Nutty and thus Nutty finally was allowed to 'die'. Nutty fell to the ground, a bloody and mutilated mess. Flaky looked very proud of Giggles, Sniffles seemed to approve of Giggle's method, and Mime seemed to acknowledge what she had done. Giggles then had the vines bring the heart she had pulled out of Nutty to her and they did so. She grabbed the heart, petted it as though it was a kitten and then tapped it with one finger. Another heart, identical to the initial heart, appeared above Giggles and one of the vines grasped it and held it. But interestingly, the vine's thorns disappeared before it grabbed the heart, likely to not slash any holes in it. Then something very intriguing happened to the heart that was in Giggle's hands. It turned into a mysterious red energy and it seemed to be absorbed by Giggles. Was it some kind of magic? Was this how their magic was renewed and strengthened? Too bad Nutty, currently deceased, did not see this. But after Giggles smiled with a refreshed look on her face, Flaky stepped forward aggressively, shoving Giggles out of the way. Giggle just laughed, the feeling of magic having driven her insane at this point.

The vines vanished into thin air and Flaky took the cloned heart that had been held in its grasp before stepping towards Nutty's corpse. When she was standing over it, she dropped the heart onto Nutty's corpse and then made an elegant gesture with her hand. The heart glowed a bright green the same color as Nutty's fur and then it went into Nutty's corpse in the same spot where his heart would be and the whole corpse suddenly glowed the same color. Wounds and cuts vanished, his eyeballs returned to their rightful place, and the blood that had drenched his body disappeared. In a matter of seconds, Nutty's corpse was restored to a living body and as proof, Nutty suddenly awoke. He took a deep breath of air and started panting. The feeling of brutal pain from the thorny vines was still fresh in his mind and it did little to calm his nerves. Now he KNEW exactly what he was dealing with and was horrified and scared. But he knew he was completely helpless. Their magic defied all reality and had unlimited range. Flaky still wore a vengeful look on her face that Nutty had never seen from her before. Was this even the real Flaky?

Flaky seemingly confirmed this possibility by doing something quite stunning. Her hand glowed with red energy and suddenly turned into a metal material, like steel. Then with that hand, she reached back and pulled out one of her porcupine quills out of herself but had no pain whatsoever as the metallic hand was invulnerable to the sharpness of her quill. She didn't even show any pain of it being removed from her body and she smirked unpleasantly at Nutty. Nutty attempted to get up but Flaky then pierced the quill through Nutty's right foot with ninja-like speed and pinned it to the ground. Nutty cried in pain, though he felt a bit tired of crying in pain. Especially since it seemed that was all he would do for the next few minutes. Flaky stepped back a few paces which didn't calm Nutty at all as he knew she was still intent on doing something torturous to him. Flaky then raised her arms to the heavens and gave a powerful shout as magic discharged from her fingertips. Nutty tried to move but the glass shard was strong and was implanted deep into the ground and his foot, like a nail. He watched as large, rectangular mirror appeared above him and started descending down quickly. It crashed with a thunderous noise that bounced off the walls of the dungeon. Glass shards shot out towards Nutty like arrows.

Nutty gave one meek and scared cry as the shards arrived full force, slicing through his body easily, through his head, his neck, his arms, his shoulder, his legs, his torso, but Flaky seemed to be guiding certain shards away from a certain area on Nutty's stomach with her malevolent magic. The pain was a bit more sudden than Giggle's method but still deadly and Nutty died again. The rest of the shards hit the wall behind him and broke in a climatic crescendo. Giggles yawned as though she was bored by the whole act though Sniffles seemed to approve of this technique. Mime looked deep in thought which was quite scary to look at, considering all he had revealed about himself just now. What exactly was he thinking about? The mirror disappeared and Flaky resumed her goal by approaching the sliced remains of Nutty. The scene was disastrous with organs and blood scattered all over, though it didn't seem to bother Flaky. Normally she was pretty timid and also would grow panicked at the sight of this. But not anymore. Flaky found Nutty's exposed heart and did the same thing that Giggles did. She made a copy of the heart, absorbed the original heart of what seemed to be the life essence of it to increase her magic, and then revived Nutty again with the cloned heart. Once again, Nutty's body was reunited and all the wounds that were on him vanished. Nutty groaned in pain as he awoke, the feeling of being sliced like a delicious meat all too present. Flaky headed back into the line with the others and Sniffles took a step forward, indicating he was next.

Nutty started to cry when he realized that Sniffles was the one who was about to torture him, and began pleading desperately. His sugar-induced hyper activeness made his sobbing pleas sound like muffled giggles, whimpering, and pure desperation. Sniffles simply responded with a cold, calculating look like that of a scientist who was making sure an experiment was going according to plan. Sniffles hands then charged with magic and he raised his arms to the heavens. Nutty braced himself for some object or objects to fall on him and screamed, but peering through his fingertips he saw something else. Some sort of construct of magical energy was growing and shaping itself above him. It seemed to be channeling the shape of some kind of creature. Nutty gazed in it with some wonder but mostly fear. He knew he could try to run for the door again but he was now willing to bet it was locked. Even if it wasn't Mime, Giggles, or Flaky could lock it or put some other evil enchantment on the door. Finally Sniffles clenched his fists and the magical construct attained a real form. If Nutty had any sense of humor left at this moment he would've laughed about its irony. It was a giant black ant, it's eyes glowing with the same magical aura as the rest of the mages.

Sniffles was an anteater naturally but he was often plagued by a particular family of ants that seemed to have the same mindset as murderous psychopaths. It may have been because they felt threatened by Sniffles but often times they did very cruel and inhumane things to him. When Sniffles invented something, they turned it on him in a terrifying way. So it surprised Nutty that Sniffles was channeling this aspect of the ants for his torture of him. Yet it seemed to be in character for him, in a twisted sort of way. The ant landed onto the ground, his head right above Nutty's head, staring at him angrily, and its feelers twitching noticeably. Nutty suddenly realized exactly what was going to happen to him and what Sniffle's intent was. Before he could even let out a scream, the ant's mouth was upon his head and it lifted Nutty up into the air, biting through his head and neck. Flaky and Giggles laughed with the same delight as one on a merry-go-round. Soon Nutty's head had been decapitated and then the ant vanished into thin-air, his job apparently done. Nutty's headless corpse fell to the ground, blood splattering yet again. Sniffles then conjured medical gloves and pulled them on firmly and then headed towards Nutty's corpse. He reached into Nutty's belly through the hole that had been created from Nutty's head being bitten off and pulled out Nutty's heart without any remorse or disgust.

Three times already had Nutty died today, no Tree Friend before had died so many times in the same day. These four truly were demons to be able to commit such a ruthless act that defied the laws of life. After replenishing his magic the same way as the two witches before him, Sniffles revived Nutty yet again. Nutty was dazed and dizzy, similar to how he was before he entered this room. His vision was blurry, he could only groan pitifully, and he was barely aware of what was going on anymore. Thorny vines, glass shards, and giant ants had caused a great deal of pain to him and he felt like his life was flashing before his eyes. He saw the visions of all the Tree Friends he knew, the deaths he had faced, the candies and sweets he had eaten, all flashing at an alarming rate. It felt... like he was starting to lose his sanity. But he knew there was still one more mage eager to torture him in some way. It was the one who brought him here, Mime.

Mime stepped forward with a certain elegance to his walk, like a count or a tango dancer. His expression though was quite unnerving, it was a twisted smile of glee which accompanied with his make-up was the thing of horror movies. Nutty's eyes rolled back into his head and he started giggling madly, perhaps as a sort of reaction to such a look and the fact he was in a state of panic. Mime seemed pleased with Nutty's crazy reaction, knowing that magic could definitely affect one's mental state. Like hypnotism or illusions that magicians would make that would stun audiences. Mime had a spell firmly in mind and he began by snapping his fingers. Instantaneously, Nutty's body broke apart into small pieces shaped like that of a jigsaw puzzle with only his heart left intact. Nutty died again yet in a creepy fashion, his open eyes could be seen as certain pieces were part of a whole image. The same went for the rest of his being, he had been turned into a jigsaw puzzle and if you put the pieces together you would see Nutty. Giggles, Flaky, and Sniffles bowed in respect to Mime as Mime cloned Nutty's intact heart to absorb the original heart's power. It seemed that the initial heart had enough life essence to be cloned and also enough to provide a suitable amount of magic to whoever absorbed its essence.

Mime then revived Nutty again, all the jigsaw pieces connected to one another in a pattern until Nutty's form was created. Then Mime levitated the fourth cloned heart of Nutty's into the jigsaw pattern and with the heart concealed through the jigsaw puzzle, Nutty's form grew substance and the sugar-loving squirrel was back in reality yet again. Nutty fell to his knees before falling forward to the ground, totally drained from the experience... no, ordeal. Giggles, Flaky, and Sniffles laughed hysterically, feeling rejuvenated and thrilled that they had Nutty to play with. Nutty heard them with a blank, almost dead expression and a single tear fell from his left eye. He doubt he'd ever be able to see the light of day again, and the fact that he had a new role in life that he didn't even want hurt most of all. Giggles then did something unspeakably cruel. As though to emphasize that Nutty was their new plaything, she conjured a brick out of thin air with her magic and hurled it at Nutty. It hit Nutty hard on the head, creating a wound on his head that started to bleed and led him to start to bawl. The mages were done for the day fortunately, or so it would seem as they teleported out of the room, leaving Nutty to cry tragically.

It was unclear what was going on, whether it was some twisted nightmare, or a real event. Nutty often had an outlandish imagination, especially when it came to his candies, but to see him bawling and bleeding in a dark, cold room seemed to suggest that it was anything but a dream. Nutty finally mustered up the strength to get up and, still bleeding and sniffling, he tried to open the door. It was locked indeed. Nutty screamed a chilling wail of sadness and banged his fists against the door desperately. After what seemed like about half of a minute, he heard the sound of teleportation and then felt something hit his head again. It was much lighter than the brick and felt like plastic. He then heard it fall to the ground. After rubbing his head he turned around and saw what it was. It was Handy's hard hat, the one he had dropped when he was escorted to this place. The mages must've summoned it here to quiet Nutty down, though likely out of annoyance than actual concern. The sight of Handy's hard hat was actually very comforting yet depressing for Nutty. It was a sign that he still had a goal to find Handy and return this to him but also suggested what might've become of Handy. _Was Handy their last victim?_ Nutty thought in a rare moment of deduction for him.

"Mmm..." Nutty decided that he better hold onto the hard hat in honor of Handy. It would probably be his only comfort anyway. But as soon as he picked it up, he noticed something had been under it. It appeared to be a grimoire, it's pages glowing with some form of magic. Nutty's curiosity, and desperation for some kind of miracle at this point, led him to open it and peer through its pages. The first page he spotted seemed to be a visual demonstration of some sort of technique. It was talking about how to channel the spirit of one's heart and the limitless energy of one's imagination into magical power. Nutty certainly had both those qualities in spades, maybe even gumdrops. Nutty started to wonder. Maybe if he followed the instructions in this book, maybe he would somehow develop enough power to fight back against the four demons who had done this to him? Nutty decided it was worthy a try.

"HAI!" Exclaiming happily, Nutty began to dive deep into the book. He read intently as the room got darker with the day's passing. Such acute reading and understanding soon produced miraculous results. He meditated, created a chocolate chip out of thin air, created a ball of light to help him read as the room grew pitch dark with the passing time, healed the wound on his head caused by the conjured brick, transformed the brick into chocolate syrup, and even levitated Handy's hard hat and made it dance a waltz around the room. Each new chapter brought him new knowledge and he had the whole night to study and master it. It was vital that he did so, if he didn't want to be killed and revived again and again. Eventually, after Nutty felt like he had accomplished enough, he went to sleep. Despite all the horrors he had faced, he slept peacefully, using the grimoire as a pillow and hugging Handy's hard hat like a stuffed animal. Truly a ray of sunshine in a cold, desolate place.

Sorry about the wait, summer's almost over and my trip to Chicago is almost here so I've been in a bit of a video game mood lately _. Plus this chapter is arguably one of the harshest and darkest chapter's I've written in a story so I just wanted to perfect it to maximum effect. I hope you understand and enjoy ^_^. Nutty seems to have found a potential miracle that could save him. But will it be enough? Or will he be doomed to be a plaything to cruel magic? And the question remains if this is all really happening. Find out what will become of Nutty in chapter 3! Again I take no ownership of copyright and all the rights belong respectfully and eloquently to Mondo Media and Happy Tree Friends. Thank you, and congrats to Flippy on being voted the Most Popular Happy Tree Friend! ^_^ We salute you.


	3. Chapter 3

INSaNUTTY Chapter 3

By Lolitafreak88

The next morning, the dungeon was illuminated once more by the morning, and Nutty awoke. He sat up and stretched his arms, gave a big yawn, and scratched his back idly. He saw the creepy murals of the dungeon and realized that the dungeon most definitely was real and that his whole experience thus far was not a dream. The forest, the mansion, the dinner, the torture, everything was real. He also saw Handy's hard hat next to him and sighed sadly. If Handy truly had been the previous victim, it probably had been worse for him than it was for Nutty. Nutty still had his arms, Handy didn't, so to torture someone more vulnerable and innocent than Nutty was inhumane and much more cruel. Then again, why would Mime, Flaky, Giggles, and Sniffles do something like this? The Mime Nutty knew was always willing to help out and entertain others. Flaky was always careful and considerate of others, even Flippy. Giggles was pretty nice too, maybe a bit of a tease but nice. And Sniffles of all Tree Friends had rehabilitated Nutty once, when Nutty's sugar addiction got him into hot water. So why had they soul their souls for dark magic?

Nutty couldn't get much further into deciphering this as a few things appeared in the dungeon by magic. First was a cooking table, like one might see in a kitchen, with several ingredients on it. Then there was a note that appeared on the table. Nutty realized that this was probably some instructions and seeing as it involved food, it was likely instructions for cooking something. Nutty could ignore it but seeing as the dungeon door was still locked and knowing full well what the demonic mages were capable of, decided it was best not to ignore them. Nutty walked over to the table, using his magic to levitate Handy's hard hat into the air and follow him, and read the instructions. Sure enough, it was instructions from the four to cook breakfast for them with a firm warning that if he did not cook it properly, "playtime" would commence as soon as possible. They also said to call them when he had prepared breakfast and not to take too long. Nutty gulped, they still hadn't changed either. The possibility that they had regained their sanity was obliterated but for some reason Nutty didn't feel scared. He had followed the grimoire like an acute pupil and believed in its magic. Also, he realized that this gave him an advantage as the four mages did not realize he had come across this book of magic. He could use this knowledge against them.

"Tee-hee..." Nutty chuckled and set to work on preparing breakfast. His magic made things a lot easier as he levitated ingredients, stirred, cut, and set things down. Nutty soon had made delicious pancakes with syrup and butter, fancy muffins with a delicious icing on top, and four beautiful fruit smoothies. Nutty realized that if he was to fight back, it was best to disable the mages in someway. He could poison them but it would take too long and they could potentially cure themselves as soon as they figured it out. Nutty realized that this was a time to break out of the mold and come up with his own poison. Nutty summoned four popsicles with crème filling and inserted them into the smoothies. A magical light green gas emerged out of the smoothies before disappearing. Nutty's respective magical energy was the same color as his own skin so it was very fitting. Nutty then pulled out the popsicles with his magic. Only the popsicle sticks were left, the popsicle part having magically melted and combined with the smoothie. It was definitely an elaborate and mysterious conjuration. Nutty smiled, and then his hands glowed with light green energy one more time...

Later, the mages gathered at the same dinner table as before and were chatting eagerly with one another. Except for Mime of course who had instead chose to do some magic tricks. It was as if they had reverted to their normal selves as they had the same cute voices and same happiness as they normally would've had. The atmosphere changed as soon as Nutty walked in. Though interestingly, the atmosphere became one of confusion rather than malevolence. It was because of Nutty's appearance. He now had a hairstyle on that was the same one he had after he had gotten out of rehabilitation and he was smiling happily. In his right arm was a tray with the four plates of food and smoothies on it. It was clear he had been designated to serve the mages their food. He served Giggles first who looked at him with flirtatious eyes though half-heartedly as she seemed puzzled at Nutty's shift in appearance. The last time she saw him he was bawling like an annoying baby but now he seemed like the normal, carefree Nutty. She turned her attention to her food as soon as it was on her table, as she was hungry. Flaky was next and she kept a stern look of annoyance and coldness as Nutty served her food. Nutty then gave Sniffles his plate who was studying Nutty intently but with an actually more natural expression, like how the normal Sniffles would observe something. Maybe he recognized this hairdo and the time he had saw it. Finally, Nutty served Mime who accepted it graciously but then shooed Nutty away with a motion of his hand. Mime took his smoothie and the four other mages quickly followed suit. Nutty began to back away, with a face that was simply pure excitement. Things were going according to plan, which was a rather rare occurrence in Happy Tree Friend Town. Mime, Giggles, Sniffles, and Flaky then made a toast with their smoothies and then drank them.

At first nothing happened and the smoothies were finished quickly. Then the four mages took a seat and were about to start eating when they stopped. They suddenly looked down as though they felt something uncomfortable and then saw that some icy covering, like that of a popsicle, was developing on their feet and was growing. It was numbing their feet and freezing it like ice. The ice was spreading at a rabid place and the mages could only gasp in horror as their entire bottom half was turned into ice. Giggles screamed, Flaky gasped, and Sniffles started to wail. Mime mimed a gasp of shock and was able to raise his arms quick enough to avoid them turning into ice and his hands glowed with magic. Nutty gulped, worried that Mime was about to rescue the other three and therefore put the odds in their favor but it seemed like he was only trying to save himself. Giggles, Flaky, and Sniffles arms had already been frozen and soon their heads were about to be turned into popsicle-colored ice. Giggles continued to scream, Flaky seemed to accept her fate bitterly, and Sniffles closed his eyes solemnly and winced. Mime managed to break the ice off his body and stop it from spreading just as the three other demonic mages were permanently encased in ice. The smoothie definitely had its own special poison. Mime directed a very intense look at Nutty, having suspected him as the one responsible for this before he started to channel his magic energy to free the others. But Nutty wasn't finished quite yet with his magical attack. He conjured three jawbreakers out of thin air and shot them towards the frozen mages. They moved at a rapid speed, like bullets fired out of a gun. They soon hit their marks and the frozen statues of Giggles, Flaky, and Sniffles broke into pieces instantly and crashed to the ground. Now they were truly dead, broken into countless pieces of ice that could not be brought back together again. With their hearts frozen and broken along with their bodies, the same ritual that brought Nutty back to life could not be used for them.

Mime mimed a gasp and then mimed a growl. He definitely did not expect this at all. Where did Nutty learn this? When could he have learned this? He had been in the dungeon overnight and Mime was sure that there was no materials that could imbue him with magical power in that room. Mime decided it didn't matter and smiled. With those three out of the way, he didn't have to share the replenishing ritual with anyone anymore and all Nutty's life essence would be his and his alone. He got up elegantly and then snapped his fingers. Instantly, the surroundings of the mansion dining room and the mansion itself unfolded and changed. In a moment's time, Nutty and Mime were now in outer space, or at least it seemed like that as Nutty and Mime were levitating and able to breathe. Nutty was a bit shocked but knew that this was his only chance of breaking free from Mime's grasp and earning his freedom. Nutty surrounded himself in his magic and then dispersed it, revealing that he was now sporting a light green wizard's hat and cape. Both had a candy corn pattern on it and he now looked the part of a wizard. The two mages of different factions stared at one another with cold stares, their hands crackling with their magical prowess. Then they began the duel to the death.

Nutty took on the offensive and created at least 100 candy-coated chocolates in a myriad of colors out of thin air in front of him. He then shot them out towards Mime as though to attack him. Combined with the surroundings of space with glittering stars and rocky asteroids, and Nutty's candy barrage could be viewed as a meteor shower. Mime observed with a careful eye but also with some genuine admiration. He was glad to see someone who had truly submerged themselves into their magic. He then went on the defensive. He created a large, ornate silver birdcage that had many doves in it. He then opened the door to the cage through what seemed to be telekinesis. The birds immediately flew out and headed towards the rain of candies. When the birds collided with the candies, the candies exploded as though they were Flippy's grenades. Soon a cloud of dust and explosions was present in space and then to Nutty's surprise, four birds managed to fly out of the cloud and headed towards Nutty at rocket speeds. Nutty was caught off-guard and the birds clawed at his face and it seemed like they hit. But then they found that they couldn't remove themselves off Nutty's face, their claws stuck to some sticky substance. Then they heard some giggling not far from where they were. It was Nutty, the real one, having created a decoy made of caramel. With a flourish from his hand, the decoy exploded, defeating the last four birds.

Reality had definitely fallen into that of a fantasia, where mystical and arcane things could exist. These displays of imaginative magic proved this. Nutty's next move created a whip made out of licorice. He had never used a whip before but he knew that his magic could augment his physical traits and so he swung the whip towards Mime, hoping to catch him. Mime didn't catch the sight of the whip as it was moving towards him at a superb speed making it near invisible and then he felt the edge of the whip wrap tightly around his left wrist. Feeling that the edge of the licorice whip had caught hold of something, Nutty pulled it and swung it around, aiming for a nearby asteroid. Mime was dragged by the edge of the whip as he was swung around like a tether ball and he spotted the asteroid. Mime was able to use his other hand to create a pillow at the exact spot he was about to crash into the asteroid. As he crashed into the pillow, the impact was softened though he still felt a rough impact. He then summoned a pair of scissors and cut part of the licorice whip, freeing him. Seeing that the whip would no longer be effective, Nutty dispersed it and prepared for his next spell.

Nutty summoned many pink bubblegum bubbles in the space between Mime and him. Then he shot them out towards the former performer. Mime however smirked, having come up with an idea to use this against Nutty. Mime conjured up many darts, the kind that would be thrown at targets in a circus or as a game and levitated them into the air before pointing them downward, aiming precisely at each bubblegum bubble from above. As soon as the darts made contact and popped the bubbles, the bubbles exploded in fearsome explosions, creating clouds of smoke that made it hard to perceive things. Nutty gulped, realizing that this cloud of explosions would be the perfect method for deception and stealth for Mime. He braced himself for an attack only to be caught off-guard when a gigantic hammer emerged out of the dust and hit Nutty, causing him to plummet down into space. Mime then appeared, flying much like Splendid, with an array of knives behind him, pursuing after Nutty like a vulture after its prey. Nutty gasped and as he descended at an accelerating rate, he knew he would have to pull off a powerful trick. Fortunately, his desire for freedom and to avenge Handy, he figured by now that Handy must've been killed by the four demonic mages, helped his thinking. He came up with a brilliant strategy.

Nutty took off his cape and then manipulated it into changing it's chemistry into that of a liquid. It was white and frothy, similar to that of the richest milk. It rushed towards Mime with the same intensity as a stream. Mime was shocked at this sudden attack and reacted far too late before he was caught in the stream. The blades he had conjured vanished and the milk's sheer intensity prevented Mime from being able to gain enough momentum to cast anymore magic. This was the chance Nutty wanted, desired, and needed. Nutty then levitated himself and stopped his descent and he started to fly towards Mime, still caught in a milky stream that was twisting and turning like a roller coaster. He took off his hat, hurled it into the emptiness of space, and pointed at it. The hat instantly changed shape and grew bigger, forming what appeared to be a blender of some sort, big enough for about all the Tree Friends to be put in it. There was no lid however, so it was just an open blender with nothing inside it... until a millisecond later. The milky path fell into the blender, taking Mime along with it and he crashed to the bottom of the blender. He quickly emerged out of the milk, gasping for breath, but with no sound for Mime was still dedicated to being silent.

Nutty then made Handy's hard hat appear before him and patted it kindly. The hard hat in response grew big enough to cover the blender and it teleported itself above the blender before closing in on the opening and sealing it. Mime looked tormented, like he had been caught in a trap even he couldn't escape from. But then he eventually closed his eyes and nodded, deciding that what was done was done. Similar to Flaky before she was encased in an icy tomb, he was accepting his fate. _It's also a pretty fun way to go_, Mime thought secretly. Nutty drew closer to the blender with an intense glare that he usually didn't give to the other Tree Friends. A glare of revenge and triumph. He snapped his fingers and two giant ice cream scoops and syrups of chocolate, caramel, and white chocolate appeared in the blender and landed on Mime. Nutty then gave a satisfied smile, checkmate was well in hand. He floated over to the button that would activate the blender and pushed it. Instantly, everything in the blender was shaken, mixed, cut, and blended into a milkshake of true insanity. The recipe was flawless, a sweet outside of ice cream and syrups with a demon of a mage mixed inside of it. After a minute, Nutty pushed the button again, silencing the blender with efficiency and speed. The milkshake was a very beautiful solid-white color, like that of the make-up Mime would wear on his face. The hard hat cover was removed and shrunk down to a size that would fit Handy's head, and then the blender itself was shrunk down to the size of a regular blender. Nutty held the blender by its handle and with a mighty drink, he consumed the milkshake. It was by far the best milkshake he had ever had the fortune of drinking with all the kinds of sweetness in it. Sweet revenge, sweet ice cream, sweet victory. Once he was all done, Nutty took it from his lips and uttered,

"Ahhh!" Then instantly, the space surroundings around him faded back into that of the mansion dining room. The icy remains of the three other mages had disappeared but there were noticeable wet stains on the carpet. Four plates were still set with food on the table but Nutty was full from the milkshake and decided to leave it there, almost like graves. Handy's hard hat also lay on the table and for the first time since Nutty's dinner, the atmosphere was calm and inviting. Nutty's hairdo had vanished and so had anything he had conjured before. He still felt the taste of something sweet in his mouth but he had a hunch about something. Nutty snapped his fingers, trying to create a delicious sweet of some sort but nothing happened. His magic was gone. Nutty shrugged his shoulders, deciding that even the power of creating all the candy he wanted didn't match up to the prize of freedom. Nutty took Handy's hard hat in his arms and then, with no real reason to stay in this gorgeous but despairing mansion, he headed towards the front door. What awaited him outside? Delusion or reality? He turned the door knob and pushed opened the door. He felt warmth from what he knew was the sun. Then he smelled something buttery...

So second to last chapter before this story comes to a close. I think I've made this story pretty interesting eh? I do think it's darker than some of my other Happy Tree Friend story but I try to still keep it my own style of writing. That includes the dark moments. Anyways, just a heads up but my trip to Chicago will be next Thursday so I won't be active for a few days between the 22-25th. Be patient for me my dear readers, I'll be back soon, and hopefully with good experiences ^_^. So what does await Nutty behind those doors? What smells so buttery? The answer will be stunning and will force you to make your own conclusions. Find out on the last chapter! Chapter 4! Once again I take no ownership of copyright and all materials used in this story belong respectfully and eloquently to Mondo Media and Happy Tree Friends. Thank you ^_^.


	4. Chapter 4

INSaNUTTY Chapter 4

By Lolitafreak88

Nutty was absolutely stunned at what he saw. What he saw was not the gorgeous field of scarecrows, grape vines, fences, bushes of fruit, baskets, or anything resembling the forest. It was... a series of carnival tents and rides. The buttery smell was coming from a popcorn machine just across from where Nutty came out of. The sky was sunny and bright at least, still showing that morning had come. The atmosphere was completely pleasant and enthusiastic, encouraging Tree Friends to partake in festivities and enjoy themselves. COMPLTELY different from what Nutty had experienced in the mansion. Something was not right about this... The scenery had completely changed, as though this was the original setting. Nutty had walked through a forest and climbed over a fence hadn't he? Nutty wondered if he really had been dreaming about the whole thing and had finally woke up. But... the torture he had suffered from Mime, Sniffles, Flaky, and Giggles seemed so real... And he had felt empowered for a brief time when he had studied the grimoire of magic and he also was still holding onto Handy's hard hat. Wasn't that enough proof? Although Handy could be dead at this rate, considering all that went down.

Nutty was now slightly afraid to look behind him, considering what this carnival scenery meant to him. It meant that the place he had crossed to get to the mansion had not existed or had completely changed. Of course, since Mime had been defeated, there was a chance that it had been an illusion created by Mime to make it seem more fantastical and less suspicious than it really was but if that was the case, wouldn't there have been some sign of it being an illusion. The funnel cake and buttery smell from earlier must've been clues of where he actually was. But was it all in his head or did he really live through such a horrible experience? Nutty turned around at last to confirm this and to his horror, the mansion was completely gone. Instead it was a purple tent and next to it was a sign that said 'Mime's Arcanum', like the invitation he received. _That's why the purple curtains stood out so much_, Nutty reasoned. But then this meant that the mansion and its interior didn't exist either. Though the name of it was real at the very least. Nutty shuddered in fear and also some doubt within himself. This was actually quite scary if you thought about it. This whole time Nutty was absolutely convinced he was in mansion and was tortured by four corrupt mage versions of four of his dear friends. All the evidence was against this though and he didn't want to look inside either. If the corpses of the four mages were in there when he knew three of them melted and one of them had been made into a milkshake and consumed, then they were killed by Nutty. But it wouldn't of been out of self-defense, but maybe because Nutty had hallucinated that he was in some sort of danger and killed them by accident.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Nutty screamed in horror and sadness at this line of thought. If it was true, Nutty was responsible for innocent Tree Friend's deaths and nothing bad had happened to him at all. He had just let his imagination run wild and done some heartless things. There was no way to prove he had been tortured by magic either, so no one would believe his story. But it had felt so real when he had been strangled and sliced and bitten and broken apart. How could he just take that as just being simply a vivid daydream? Plus, why was Handy's hard hat here? If the field he had found it in had not existed, then this hard hat shouldn't exist either but yet it was there.

"..." It was a lot to process for Nutty. He had never had the thinking ability of Sniffles or some of the other Tree Friends. In fact it was making his head dizzy, or maybe that was from being away from soda for awhile. At least he could confirm one thing, that something DID happen. The question was what exactly happened? Anyways, Nutty decided to focus on finding Handy and return his hard hat to him. That's when he noticed something interesting leaning against the sign that said 'Mime's Arcanum'. It was his scooter! A scooter that he was pretty good at using too, able to catch up to a skateboarding Cuddles on it. Though it's appearance was bittersweet. It once again seemed to point to the fact Nutty had been hallucinating the whole time and did not experience what he felt he experienced. Nutty went over to retrieve it when he suddenly spotted something from afar.

_HANDY! _It was indeed the amputee beaver. They were heading towards Nutty and they were followed by Disco Bear. Handy looked miserable, he did not have his hard hat on, revealing that he had the same ears as Toothy, just in Handy's color. He must've looked everywhere for it. Petunia was alongside him offering comfort and moral support as a friend. Though she occasionally looked behind her to glare at Disco Bear who was clearly trying to hit on her. He was under the conclusion that Handy might've lost his touch with Petunia without the hard hat and was trying to make his move. Not to be malicious, he just didn't understand that Petunia was still not into him. So he was walking slickly and trying to flirt with her though eventually Petunia finally turned around and started shouting at Disco Bear. Handy continued to walk ahead, feeling very insecure and depressed without his hard hat.

Nutty was now crying tears of happiness. Handy didn't die! He was alive! So that must mean that there never was a previous victim of the mage's cruelty. And that also meant he was alive to accept his hard hat from Nutty. This also meant that the hard hat did exist and wasn't a random toy, it was Handy's. Nutty jumped up and down, laughing through his tears of joy, and then realized he need to grab their attention. It was time to finally return to normal life. He whistled in a way that was designed to sound cheerful and grab anyone's attention. Handy looked up weakly, Petunia turned around in mid-point, and Disco Bear's attention shifted to where the whistle was coming from. Handy's expression brightened tremendously when he saw who it was, Petunia smiled and gasped in surprise, and Disco Bear just looked a bit puzzled. Unlike Handy and Petunia, Disco Bear had no real opinion on Nutty, except that he was addicted to sugar and somehow less heavy than he was. Although he was the first to point out what Nutty had in his hands.

Nutty put the hard hat on his head, got on his scooter and started riding towards Disco Bear, Petunia, and Handy. He looked exciting, adventurous, and with something to give to Handy, like an image of a giver. Handy and Petunia cheered while Disco Bear looked on awe-struck, hoping to pick up something from this display of talent and scooter-riding. Nutty swerved and spun and even grinded on an empty bike rack that was by the entrance to a hall of mirrors, and then he skillfully skidded to a stop right in front of the trio. Handy and Petunia cheered at Nutty's act and Disco Bear actually gave him a dollar. It was a circus fairground after all, so it made only sense to give a donation to a traveling performer. Nutty accepted it happily and then took off the hard hat that had been his only redemption throughout that miserable experience and crowned it on its rightful owner's head. Handy was definitely grateful but then started asking Nutty where he had been, along with Petunia and Disco Bear. That's when Nutty learned the final and most important fact to prove if he was dreaming or not.

He had been missing for several days. No one had seen him or heard from him. Mime, Flaky, Sniffles, and Giggles had been seen around town but not Nutty. Nutty was kept up in that dungeon and tortured, at least in his views, so what if that duration had been longer than what it seemed to him? It had only seemed like it had been a whole night that he had spent as the toy of demonic magic. But what if it had been longer? It wouldn't be hard to believe if they had cast some sort of spell to prolong or quicken the flow of time or maybe simply being in Mime's Arcanum sped the flow of time. It would likely be impossible to figure out what had really happened to Nutty. The realization of this led Nutty to start crying, as he could never know if he had simply went insane or had really been led to a trap.

"WAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nutty hugged Handy and cried over his shoulder. Petunia showed pity and concern, so did Disco Bear. Handy asked what had happened to Nutty. Nutty retold all the events that had transpired from his point of view. The forest, the invitation, the field, finding Handy's hard hat, the mansion, how the Tree Friends there drugged him, took him to the dungeon, killed him and revived him to replenish their magic, how he found the grimoire and practiced it, how he poisoned the meal, how he dueled Mime and won, and how he got out. It was a story worth being put in a collection of fairy tales but yet the way it was said made it seem like it was real life. The three listeners were all equally stunned at how realistic Nutty seemed to view it as. They knew Flaky, Mime, Giggles, and Sniffles would never maliciously hold someone against their will or torture someone like this but what if they really did do that to Nutty? But of course, magic doesn't exist either so that part couldn't be true either could it?

In the end, Handy comforted Nutty, telling him that the worst was over and that he was glad to have him back. Petunia agreed and Disco Bear hesitated for a moment before a sharp nudge from Petunia got him to agree. Nutty was definitely very grateful for this. To have Tree Friends who understood him, who did not treat him like a toy and who accepted him and his ideas, even if they were a bit out there. So the four Tree Friends pledged to spend the rest of the day at the fairground and off they went. What was still unsolved and would likely continue to remain unsolved though was if what happened to Nutty actually did happen. It seemed like it would remain a matter of interpretation. As the screen fades, it closes in on a "Missing Tree Friend" poster with Nutty's image on it. Then it is over.

"To see a thing clearly in the mind makes it begin to take form."

And with that INSaNUTTY is done! :D And this will be my last Fan-fiction update until Sunday when I get back from my fabulous trip to Chicago! So yeah this story is designed to be kind of a story where you don't know for sure if what happened to Nutty was true or didn't happen. It becomes a matter of symbolism and reading the events carefully and deciding for yourself what's true and what isn't. I would like to apologize if this story hasn't been very interesting, or if the conclusion isn't satisfying, it's just an idea I came up with and I am rather tired from preparing for Chicago so I sincerely hope you enjoy it. As usual I take no ownership of copyright and all the rights belong respectfully and eloquently to Mondo Media and Happy Tree Friends. See you chicas! I'm off to Chicago! :D


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